


Severance Package

by Rasalahuge



Series: Deus ex Mycroft [4]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Prophets, What Happened To Chuck?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 11:22:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5454797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rasalahuge/pseuds/Rasalahuge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severance Package: The compensation that an employer provides to an employee who has been laid off, whose job has been eliminated, who through mutual agreement has decided to leave the company, or who has parted ways with the company for other reasons</p>
<p>In which Chuck may or may not dodge a bullet but he's pretty sure that someone is watching him through Captcha.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Severance Package

**Author's Note:**

> This was a thing I planned on handling in one short conversation about Kevin at some point in the future of this series however Ardentes101 asked about Chuck on a comment in 'Chronicles of a Young God' and so I decided to write this. BTW Raphael's POV? Hard to write.
> 
> This can also be considered a more or less direct prequel to the first story in this series 'Deus ex Mycroft' or 'the one that started my descent into madness'

  
** Severance Package **

**Alternately: What the hell happened to Chuck?**  
**Also Alternately: There are _some_ advantages to being a Prophet**  


“Raphael may I have a word?”

Raphael turned, his dark eyes focusing on the angel that had intruded his solitude, and came face to face with the Gardener. Joshua appeared calm and collected but Raphael knew that was a façade. With Michael gone less than a day no angel had dared to cross the last remaining archangel for good reason.

“What is it Gardener?” Raphael rumbled letting his wings crackle with agitation. Hopefully the Gardener would leave quickly, Michael had patience for the one angel that claimed to still speak to God but Raphael knew better. Their Father was dead, _God_ was dead.

“It’s about the Prophet,” Joshua said demurely.

“What about him?” Raphael’s eyes narrowed and he turned his senses inwards to the connection he had to the Prophet. Chuck Shurley was unconscious, sleeping off the large quantity of alcohol he had imbibed during the final fight that hadn’t been so much a fight as a disaster. There was no danger and so Raphael turned back to Joshua.

“His duties are finished,” Joshua said, “We need to visit him in order to relieve him of his visions,”

“He is a Prophet, his duties do not _finish_ ,” Raphael scowled darkly.

“Chuck Shurley was awoken as a Prophet in order to record the Winchester Gospels, to cover the Apocalypse. The Apocalypse is over, his recordings of it completed. His work is done, Raphael, it is time for him to receive his dues,”

A crack of thunder echoing through Heaven was the only indication Raphael would allow of his temper. Joshua turned his eyes to the clear skies as if looking for the thunderstorm that didn’t exist. This Heaven was of a devout man who most loved the calm, still winter morning at the monastery he had spent his life in; there was a frost on the ground but no storm.

“We have differing opinions on the Apocalypse being ‘over’,” Raphael replied. The Apocalypse was not over, delayed perhaps, but not over. Raphael would ensure that Dean Winchester and his pet angel Castiel suffered for what they had done. Then Raphael would open the Cage once more and this would end.

“The Apocalypse as dictated originally is done with,” Joshua disagreed as if he knew exactly what Raphael was thinking. Perhaps he did. Joshua might only be one of the cherubim but he had always seemed bizarrely _old_ for one of the youngest angels and he always knew things he had no business knowing. It was probably why he got away with claiming to speak to God. “That is not to say another Apocalypse cannot take place should you open the Cage once more and free Michael and Lucifer but it will not be this one. Thus the Prophet’s duties are done,”

“He aided the Winchesters,” Raphael argued because Chuck Shurley might pretend otherwise but the archangel knew all too well how much contact they’d had.

“That is irrelevant. He did his duty, recorded the Apocalypse for the Gospel,” Joshua tilted his head to one side, “Are you going to continue to argue Raphael? Surely dealing with the Prophet is to your advantage; until the next is called you will not have to concern yourself with a charge,”

As much as Raphael would like to disagree he knew Joshua spoke the truth. He had no idea how long it would take, or what sacrifices would be needed, to open the Cage. He had some ideas but Dean Winchester sat on the only sure-fire method known to open the Cage. If he no longer had to protect the Prophet he would be free to work. Also if Chuck Shurley was no longer a Prophet then he would not be able to inform Dean Winchester or Castiel of Raphael’s plans.

“Very well,” Raphael agreed, “Let us get this over with,”

“Thank you,” Joshua bowed his head, then spread his wings and flew. Raphael followed a beat behind, landing in Chuck Shurley’s living room without care for the human’s opinion on the matter.

The Prophet was still unconscious, though it seemed Joshua was stepping forward to remedy that, so Raphael took a moment to examine his surroundings. He’d been here before of course, when he smote Castiel, but he hadn’t stopped to look only destroyed the Fallen and gone on his way. Judging from the many bottles of alcohol and pain-killers Chuck Shurley coped with the visions about as well as any Prophet ever did, Raphael might have pitied him had he not gone out of his way to make the archangel’s life difficult.

“ _Oh god_ ,” The first words out of the Prophet’s mouth as he woke were, of course, a blasphemy. Raphael shouldn’t have been surprised, the casual defamation and wasteful use of his Father’s name had become so common that few angels even blinked at it anymore. Yet for a Prophet to do so was unusual.

“Not quite,” Joshua said with a quiet but wry smile. “Good morning Chuck Shurley, I am Joshua but then you already knew that,” He said. Chuck Shurley stared at Joshua, clearly trying to come to terms with the fact that the angel was there in his house but not quite having the mental capacity to do so thanks to his hangover. With a small inward sigh Raphael stepped forward, he was not going to stand here for the next hour while the Prophet became awake enough to actual hold a conversation.

Chuck took one look at him and blanched, scrambling backwards to get away from the archangel but he was still sprawled on the couch and did not get very far. Raphael pressed two fingers to the human’s head and let his Grace sweep through him. It took a matter of seconds to eliminate the toxins from Chuck Shurley’s bloodstream, as well as repair his liver and remove the physical aspect of alcohol dependency.

“I… whoa… did you just… what the hell?” Chuck stared at Raphael with open astonishment.

“I have better things to do than converse with a hungover human,” Raphael informed him and then turned to glare at Joshua, “Get this over with,” He demanded and then turned his back on this little scene. Instead he went to examine what was clearly the manuscript for the ending of the Winchester Gospels. He scoffed, disgusted not with the writing – although that wasn’t exactly thrilling but then few Prophets were actually talented writers – but with the content. He did not need to read about what the Winchesters had done to his brother.

“Chuck,” Joshua said, his voice still calm, “There is nothing to fear, we are not here to hurt you,”

“Uh-huh,” Chuck Shurley did not sound as if he believed the words but neither was he apparently trying to escape. Clearly he taken the lessons his visions imparted to heart and knew better. Raphael might have given him credit for having a modicum of sense but then again he _had_ helped the Winchesters. And no, Raphael was not going to let that go.

“I promise Chuck, you are not going to be harmed. Surely you know that Raphael has been protecting you? He is not likely to renege on that duty just because things did not end as planned?” Raphael snorted. He might, if Chuck Shurley wasn’t a Prophet, but even if God was dead Raphael was still his archangel, was still loyal. Or as loyal as one could be to someone who was long gone.

“Uh… no offence but that’s not overly reassuring,” Chuck Shurley commented, “Why are you here?”

“You have served God with integrity, completed the duties he imparted upon you. It is time for your reward,” Joshua answered.

“So you are going to kill me,” Chuck Shurley said miserably and Raphael snorted again turning back to face the Prophet.

“Only if you want to die,” Raphael grunted, “You should explain it more clearly Joshua,” he demanded, “We don’t have all day to pander to one human’s fears,”

“As you wish,” Joshua sighed and then turned back to the human. “Chuck we are here to negotiate your severance package. Every Prophet gets one, although it is more usual to negotiate this at death it is not always the case, it simply happens when a Prophet’s duties are finished with,”

“What sort of severance package?” Chuck Shurley asked looking confused but interested.

“Whatever severance package you would prefer. Some of the previous Prophets wished for sainthoods, others for wealth to be passed onto their families. Enoch asked to be made an angel. Whatever your wish we can provide.” Joshua smiled at him, “Within reason of course, certain requests such as being made an angel would have to be cleared by God and I cannot guarantee a prompt response.”

“I’m good not being an angel thanks,” Chuck Shurley answered uncomfortably. “So if I’m being fired does this mean the visions will end?” he asked.

“They will,” Joshua answered, “You won’t be a Prophet anymore,”

“Right. Okay. That’s… that’s good,” Chuck Shurley said breathing heavily with relief painted across his face. “So… uh… I just ask you for what I want and you tell me if I can have it?”

“Of course,” Joshua reassured him.

“So if I asked to be a billionaire?” Chuck Shurley said and Joshua blinked.

“I don’t see why that would be an issue, although greed is a sin it is only just that you are well compensated for your time,” The angel replied and the Prophet stared, disbelieving.

“Uh… right… I guess? Though honestly I don’t know what I’d do with billions of dollars. Umm… maybe I could just get a big house somewhere hot and sunny and enough money that I don’t have to freak out about working again?” He stammered out nervously.

“That’s not a problem. How does Hawaii sound?” Joshua asked and the Prophet swallowed and laughed weakly.

“Uh… kinda awesome to be honest.” Chuck Shurley answered looking relieved.

“There is one condition,” Raphael interrupted darkly and the Prophet turned wide, frightened eyes on him. “You will leave, immediately, and never contact the Winchesters or anyone associated with them again,”

“But… uh…” Chuck Shurley stammered glancing at Joshua who remained impassive. From the set of his wings Raphael assumed that the cherub did not approve but Raphael hardly cared. Without visions and too afraid to contact the Winchesters without losing his ‘reward’ Chuck Shurley would no longer be an issue and that was enough for him.

“Do we have an agreement?” Raphael demanded and the Prophet quailed under his glare.

“I… uh… You’re going to insist whatever I ask for aren’t you?” He asked miserably. Raphael didn’t answer; it was a ridiculous question to ask given that Chuck Shurley clearly knew what the answer would be. “Yeah, okay,” His shoulder’s sagged with clear disappointment.

“Good,” Raphael turned to Joshua who was simply watching, “Joshua?” He demanded and the cherub frowned but nodded. He made a clipboard appear from what the human probably perceived as nowhere with several sheets of paper upon it, he offered both the clipboard and a pen to Chuck Shurley who stared at it in confusion.

“It’s a simple termination agreement with the details of your severance package. You and Raphael will sign, and myself as a witness, then we’ll send you on your way and you may forget we ever even existed,” Joshua said politely.

“Fat chance,” Chuck Shurley snorted taking the clipboard and flicking through the pages. He paused halfway through and his eyes bugged out. “That’s… that’s a lot of money,” He stammered.

“It is the appropriate amount, given the importance of a Prophet and their work and the length of your employment, plus certain bonuses,” Joshua replied smoothly, “if you’d rather not take it,”

“No!” Chuck Shurley said and then flushed, “Uh… I mean…” Raphael snorted; this was ridiculous, the sooner he was rid of the human the better.

“It is reasonable compensation,” Joshua said firmly, “And well within your conditions of ‘enough to live off’,”

“Right…. Right!” Chuck Shurley said, brightening slightly, “Okay, so I just sign…” He said and flicked to the final page and brandished the pen. It took a matter of seconds to sign and then he went to hand it back to Joshua uncertainly. Raphael resisted the urge to sigh and simply stepped forward to remove it and the pen from his hands. He barely glanced at the paperwork, more than glad to be rid of the human on whatever terms, and simply signed it before shoving it towards Joshua.

“Excellent,” Joshua said, “Then everything is in order. Raphael if you will?” He asked and Raphael once more pressed his fingers to Chuck Shurley’s temple. It took barely more than a thought to severe the connection between them, the one that let Raphael know when he was in danger, and then a moment more to switch off the part of the human’s brain that allowed him to receive the Word of God. Chuck Shurley let out a long breath; his shoulder’s sagging as the invisible weight was lifted from his shoulders.

“So am I going now?” He asked, exhaustion written into the lines of his face.

“Yes,” Joshua said, “Enjoy the rest of your life Chuck Shurley,” The cherub reached out and then the former Prophet was gone.

“Finally,” Raphael grumbled, “Anything _else_?” He asked shortly.

“No, thank you Raphael,” Joshua replied and Raphael nodded, just once, and left. He’d wasted enough time here.

***

Mycroft Holmes’ phone was not like most people’s phones. His was not, actually, a phone although it looked and functioned like one but rather it was a metaphysical construct. It was convenient for keeping things organised from meetings to paperwork to prayers and people and generally speaking it attracted less attention if one was focusing on their phone rather than staring absently into nothing.

As such Mycroft Holmes’ phone rarely actually rang. Aside from the few phone calls that came with maintaining his human guise there were barely more than a handful of people who could contact him so directly. Most prayers came to him as emails or text messages and received indirect responses if he chose to respond to them at all. There were however a few notable exceptions and the cherub Joshua was one of them.

“Joshua,” Mycroft said pleasantly as he answered the ringing phone, ignoring the frown sent his way by the human he had been meeting. “I assume Mr Shurley had been handled?” He enquired though of course he had received the notification of Chuck Shurley’s spontaneous move to Hawaii a few minutes prior.

“ _Indeed sir, everything went smoothly,_ ” Joshua replied calmly. A gardener the angel might be but he was one of the more competent assistants Mycroft had, baring of course the indispensable Remiel.

“Good,” Mycroft hummed.

“ _However if you will allow Sir, I believe we should be concerned about Raphael,_ ” Joshua informed him and Mycroft frowned. He wasn’t unaware of Raphael’s issues of course but he had hoped that Castiel’s obvious favour would allow a grace period while Mycroft cleaned up matters over on the human side of things before having to deal with Heaven.

“I see,” He said carefully. “How concerned?”

“ _There will be some time, especially if Castiel opposes his plans,_ ” Joshua answered and Mycroft sighed. That was not the answer he wanted to hear.

“Very well, keep an eye on things and let me know when they escalate.” He paused and then came to a resigned understanding, “I may pull them in for a discussion if things become unmanageable,” There was a long pause on the other end of the line.

“ _Yes Sir,_ ” Joshua replied, clearly surprised but not willing to show it.

“Keep me informed,” Mycroft said and then hung up. He looked at his phone for a long moment before turning his attention back to his meeting. He would know if things got bad enough that he had to intervene, or Joshua would update him. For now he had other things he needed to deal with. James Moriarty for one.

 

At a bar in Hawaii Chuck Shurley nursed an iced tea and breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn’t know why, would never be able to put a finger on it, but he felt like he had dodged a bullet. Some great destiny, far more than just being a Prophet, that he had managed to avoid though he couldn’t say what destiny that could possibly be.

All he knew was that looking at the Captcha on websites left him with a shiver going up his spine.


End file.
